A Study of the Don Hoi Lot Tourism Value Chain in Samut Songkhram Province under the Circumstances of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID - 19) Epidemic

Abstract

The research aimed to 1. study the tourists’ satisfaction towards Don Hoi Lot, Samut Songkhram province under the circumstances of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID - 19) epidemic and 2. study the value chain activity of the tourism in Don HoiLot, Samut Songkhram province under the circumstances of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID - 19) epidemic. The research samples were stakeholders of the Don Hoi Lot tourism value chain that consisted of entrepreneurs, travel agencies and tourists. There were 330 people in quantitative research and 30 people in qualitative research. The instruments of data collection were questionaire and interview form. The statistical analysis used in this research were percentage, mean and standard deviation. The results revealed that 1. the tourists’ satisfaction included the upstream factors had the overview average level at the mean of 2.95. After considered in each item found that the average level were the ways of life, the average costs of water and electricity, goods and services, and food and beverage, respectively, and the low level included garbage and government sector, respectively. Moreover, the tourists’ satisfaction of the midstream factors had the overview high level at the mean of 3.80. After considered in each item found that the high level were tourist attraction, accommodation, and transport service. The tourists’ satisfaction of the downstream factors had the overview average level at the mean of 3.20. 2. According to the research results of value chain activity of the tourism in Don Hoi Lot, Samut Songkhram province, it found that there were two types of the activities: main activity and support activity. Moreover, the guildline for promotion and development of value chain activity of the tourism included 1) to use the specific identification of the location of Don Hoi Lot as value-added plan, 2) to use technology in communication such as making public relation on website and various social media about Don Hoi Lot tourism activities, additional preventive measures under the circumstances of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID - 19) epidemic, 3) to develop tourism operations regularly for increasing the competitiveness sustainably, and 4) to apply the guideline of the Don Hoi Lot tourism value chain management to cover all tourism value chain activities, increasingly.